Re: HEEEELLLPPPP...Hi Amy, my answer here is really long.....
From: Ginger (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 7 Jun 2000 14:59:25 -0500 (CDT)
BRAVO Clara!! Thanks for sharing your plan with Amy, as the information
also helped me tremendously!!! I have also struggled with low-carbing
and have either done it "By the Book" or not at all. I have had a lot
of trouble feeling like I was "cheating", since the low-carb way pretty
much goes against every other diet plan I've ever been on (and believe
me- there are a lot!)
When I started thinking of this as a way of life, instead of a temporary
fix to try to lower my weight, it really changed things. I am still not
necessarily on any program, but I try to eat as "naturally" as possible.
Basically, I just ask myself "Is this item how it is found in nature?",
if not I choose something else. By the way, I have yet to discover any
Hostess Ding-Dong trees growing in my area! : )
I am not loosing the weight as quickly as I'd like, but I am maintaining
or loosing 1-2 lbs. off & on, which is a big accomplishment for me.
Before I started this, I was consistantly gaining 5-10 lbs. a month.
So, once again, thank you for sharing. Please continue to give pointers
to all of us who are struggling!
Best Wishes,
Ginger
At Wed, 7 Jun 2000, Avalos, wrote:
>
>Hi Amy, it's me again (Clara)
>
>I'm sorry to hear that things have gotten to this point. I can tell how
>hard it is for you, and I really hope that you can find some kind of happy
>medium so that you can get your health back in order and hopefully work on
>you relationship with your husband. Both of those take so much will and
>dedication! You are in my thoughts and prayers....
>
>We have exchanged messages before, and I saw your note and had a couple of
>thoughts that I wanted to share with you.
>
>I have been doing low carb for a month and a half now, maybe slightly
>longer, and I've gotten to the point where I eat healthy, relatively
>low-carb and low-fat and I still get my fruits and veggies in AND I am
>slowly losing weight. (Probably not as quickly as I would if I did the
>full-blown Atkins, but I am still losing and that's all that counts) here
>is what I do:
>
>I now start each day with 30 minutes of exercise. I kept putting this off,
>mostly because I am not a morning person, and I am always too tired, but
>last week something snapped in me and I looked in the mirror and said:
>"ANYTHING is better than this, so DO something!" The next day, I got out of
>bed at 6:15 am, got into my spandex (by was I a sight... still am) and
>rolled down to the rec room & turned on the tv. There is a cable station
>called "THN" (the health network), and they have a great workout every
>morning at 6:30 am, it is called Bodies in Motion. I used to work out to it
>when I lived overseas and also when I was in law school. I can confidently
>say that this workout was the main factor in keeping myself in shape during
>the majority of my 20's. So, anyway, for nearly two weeks I have been
>getting up religiously, to my husband's SHOCK, and just doing it!
>
>After the workout I go into the kitchen and make my breakfast: 8 oz. soy
>milk blended with 3/4 cup halved strawberries, some ice and diabetic
>sweetener and a couple of shakes of vanilla powder. I leave that in the
>fridge while I shower and get ready for work, and drink it before I leave
>the house.
>
>I keep a pitcher of water with fresh lemon or lime squeezed into it on my
>desk all day & drink about 6 to 8 glasses of it during my work day. If I go
>nuts for something, I will chew some gum or suck on a piece or two of
>diabetic candy or a tic tac.
>
>For lunch, I usually have a cup of steamed green beans or broccoli or
>cauliflower (actually, the night before, when I plan to have cauliflower, I
>brush the cauliflower with olive oil and insert garlic cloves between the
>florets and salt it and then toss the whole thing in the oven, cover with
>aluminum & bake about 40 minutes). Anyway, I accompany the lunch veggie
>with a piece of grilled or baked chicken breast, or tuna with lemon, or even
>some sliced turkey on lettuce, and usually a kiwi or some strawberries or
>raspberries, and when I am splurging, I'll have a glass of Crystal Light
>lemonade.
>
>For snack, I'll break with convention and have a half of a grapefruit (my
>favorite fruit) or something decadent like two or three pieces of chocolate
>or a couple of cookies.
>
>For dinner, I always eat 8 oz. protein, mostly lean chicken/fish/turkey,
>rarely lean ground beef; I also have a wild field salad or a mesclun salad
>(more vitamins in that) or a spinach salad OR a bowl of soup, I also eat a
>serving of a low carb veggie. Sometimes there is cheese on one of those
>dishes, or I will serve myself a couple of chunks of "fresh" cheese, like
>feta or farmer's cheese (this is lower in cholesterol and you get calcium
>and protein and it is filling). I always finish with fresh fruit. (I have a
>Juiceman, too, and I often make apple/veggie blends).
>
>When I make things like tuna salad or burgers, I will have one slice of
>bread under the filling, and will eat with knife and fork instead of with my
>hands.... I sometimes have wasa crisps with my lunches or when I get serious
>cravings. I rarely make eggs of my own volition, however, my husband loves
>them. We compromise, and so we use egg substitute, even though neither of
>us has cholesterol problems....
>
>The bottom line, for me, is always to make sure I get vitamins naturally, so
>I try to eat lots of different kinds of veggies (remember the kohlrabi?),
>and I eat one or two servings of fruit each day, at least. I know I am
>keeping down on the fats and calories, I can't go to the extreme of Atkins
>because I can't cut out my fruits entirely and I need a bit more variety....
>
>So far, since we last wrote, I have lost 8 more pounds, and now with the
>added exercising, I am starting to feel a difference as well (I was already
>walking 30 minutes every evening). I know it will take lots of time, but I
>have to just stick with it and pray that it all works for the best.
>
>Amy, I am sure that you can find a plan that works for you. With me, I just
>had to spend a lot of time looking at the carb charts and deciding which
>foods I was going to cut out completely (for example, bananas) and which
>foods would replace them (kiwis), so that I could be sure that I was
>staying healthy with regard to my intake. It took me a good month or so of
>trial and error before I started to get comfortable with things. I had to
>find a way to low-carb that would fit with my lifestyle.
>
>This is really hard. I know sometimes that I look at the board and see
>posts from everyone who is low-carbing and I am amazed... sometimes I wonder
>why I can't do that... then other times, I realize that some of those
>methods just don't fit into my life. I get ideas and inspiration here, and
>when I am feeling dejected, this board really helps bring me back into
>focus. So, just because folks here are on Atkins or Carb Addicts doesn't
>mean I have to be there, too. However, they remind me constantly of the
>things that I should stay away from and I get tips on how to do that just by
>reading posts... and with those tips, I find my own way.
>
>Give it some time, Amy, and have faith in yourself. Believing that you can
>do it, and then focusing is often the biggest part of the battle. You have
>a good doctor, you are in treatment for this PCOS (Metformin, right?)... so
>hold on to those blessings and take yourself to the next level. We're here
>with you, now and whenever you need us. Just believe you can do it and you
>will find the way that works for you.
>
>All my best to you,
>
>Clara
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Amy Crowe [mailto:anonymous@obgyn.net
>Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2000 12:11 PM
>To: Multiple recipients of list PCOS
>Subject: HEEEELLLPPPP
>
>OKAY - I NEED SEEEERRRIIOOOUUUUSSSS ADVISE HERE FOLKS....
>
>I HAVE HAD PCOS FOR A LOOONG TIME NOW,BEEN ON MET AND LEVLITE FOR GOING ON 2
>MONTHS NOW AND MY LOW CARBING "ATTEMPTS" HAVE BEEN LESS THAN SUCCESSFUL....I
>AM WEIRD WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT I LIKE AND DISLIKE...I AM NOT A BIG EGG EATER
>UNLESS THEY ARE DROWNED IN CHEESE, I AM NOT A MEAT EATER (I AVERAGE 1 PIECE
>OF
>MEAT MAYBE 2 X MONTHLY) I LOVE VEGGIES BUT NOT AS MY ONLY EATING SOURCE AND
>I
>LOOOVE FRUIT...I HAVE A CLOSE FAMILY HISTORY OF HEART DISEASE AND HI
>CHOLESTEROL SO CHEESE EGGS AND MEATS AS A DAILY DIET MAKES ME NERVOUS...NOT
>TO
>MENTION I AM 70LBS OVERWEIGHT - I AM NOT A VEGITARIAN, BUT I COULD BE EASILY
>IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE RED-MEAT CRAVINGS AROUND MY PERIODS...(IRON)
>I HAVE NO GALBLADDER AND CONSTIPATION IS A BAD THING WITH ME...
>
>MY HUSBAND AND I ARE BIG "JUICERS" - WE HAVE A LARGE JUICEMAN JUICER INWHICH
>WE JUICE FRESH FRUITS AND VEGGIES DAILY ..
>
>I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO - MY HUSBAND IS A HUGE HEALTHNUT AND HAS DONE
>LOTS OF RESEARCH ON THE ADKINS AND OTHERS WHICH HE FEELS AREN'T AS HEALTHY
>AS
>THEY SEEM - ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WITH FAMILY HISTORY OF HEART AND
>CHOLESTEROL
>PROBLEMS...
>
>I LOOKED INTO "THE ZONE" DIET - THEIR CONCEPT IS THAT CHEMICALLY PROCESSED
>THINGS ARE MORE HEALTHY FOR YOU THAN NATURAL FOODS...THAT IS A JOKE!!
>THEY SAY THAT CRANBERRIES/ MELLONS AND CREAM CHEESE ARE HORRIBLE FOR YOU BUT
>HELP YOURSELF TO ALL THE "FAT-FREE CHEMICALLY PROCESSED CHEESE AND MAYO"
>THAT
>YOU WANT....THAT MAKES NO SENSE ...i GUESS I AM LOOKING FOR A NOT SO LOW LOW
>CARB LOW CARB DIET...KNOW WHAT I MEAN??
>
>TO ME FRUITS AND VEGGIES ARE BETTER FOR YOU THEN ALL THE ARTIFICIAL STUFF..
>
>ANYWAY - I NEED HELP - I AM SEVERLY DEPRESSED ABOUT MY WEIGHT AND WANT IT
>OFF,
>BUT WANT TO DO IT SAFELY...MY HUSBAND IS VERY WITHDRAWN PHYSICALLY FROM ME
>AND
>OUR MARRIAGE IS IN SERIOUS DANGER...
>
>HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLPPP... THANKS FOR READING... AMY - MARIETTA GEORGIA
>
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